The school was founded in 1913 by Ela Hockaday in response to a group of Dallas businessmen's demand to pioneer an academic institution for their daughters, one equal to that of their sons’ educational experiences. She added a junior college in 1931 which operated until 1951.[2] The first class consisted of only ten students. Sarah Trent was one of the first teachers at the school and was influential in its development. As of the 1940 census, Ela Hockaday was living at the school that was located in the block between 5601 Bonita and 2407 Greenville Avenue in Dallas.[3]
The school announced in 2021 that it would phase out the boarding option by 2025. [4]
Tuition
The tuition averages $36,705[5] for upper school day students (not including books). For resident students, costs are approximately $62,828 - $64,191. Financial aid is granted on the basis of demonstrated family need and the school's availability of funds. In the 2019–2020 school year, 13% of the Hockaday student body received financial aid.[6]
Since 2010, five Hockaday graduates have gone to graduate school at Oxford as Rhodes Scholars, an award that goes to only 32 students per year. Two Hockaday alumnae earned this scholarship in 2022, becoming the first two Rhodes Scholars from the same high school graduating class. These 5 alumnae are: Libby Longino Cohen ’06, Laura Roberts ’12, Mary Clare Beytagh ’14, Elizabeth Guo '18, and Mary Orsak '18 [10][11]
This list is incomplete. Italicized public schools are not in the "full purpose" Dallas city limits but have portions of Dallas in their attendance boundaries.
